the 3 raids center on rick leavitt.. a financial manager for the bureau of reclamation. authorities raided his home in henderson.. as well as the bureau of reclamation office where he worked in boulder city. and an accounting firm in las vegas near sunset and durango. patranya bhoolsuwan joins us now live from leavitt's home in henderson near horizon ridge parkway and horizon drive. ((patranya bhoolsuwan)) we have been at this house all day ... no one has been coming in and out of this afternoon. but this morning, a much different story...at this property belonging to a man by the name of frederick or rick leavitt, one of the top dogs on the financial side of the bureau of reclamation. our cameras caught federal agents going into the house and taking out boxes containing unknown items. all the f-b-i would tell us at this point is that this is a corruption investigation. we did see someone leaving the house, we later went to knock on the door but no one answered.

authorities also executed search warrants at leavitt's office in boulder city. our crew also saw agents raiding a separate office, ll bradford cpa in the southwest valley. fbi agents there confirmed that it is connected to the corruption investigation. ((patranya bhoolsuwan)) this morning we talked to one neighbor in this community who says that they know the leavitts and was very shocked to see federal agents through the house this morning. they say they would not expect something like this to happen at this home. reporting live near horizon ridge parkway and mission drive in henderson, patranya bhoolsuwan 8 news now.// ((dave courvoisier)) > our

before today's raid ((paula francis)) our george knapp has been digging into the background of rick leavitt.. to find out why the fbi came knocking on his door this morning. he joins us now with what he's found out. the i-team first got wind of this nearly a month ago and were told something big was in the works. anytime you have the political; corruption squad serving a search warrant on another federal office, it counts as big. at the center of this investigation.... a million dollar contract to perform a financial audit of the hoover dam. the dam is managed by the u.s. bureau of reclamation. this morning, fbi and irs agents served a search warrant on the bureau's regional office in boulder city. that office manages the sale of electricity generated by the hoover dam. next year, the contract that provides for the sale of power to 11 cities in southern california will expire, so an audit committee was created to review the contracts and see whether proper accounting procedures are being

related to that contract and the audit.... one of the five memers of the audit committee is a longtime accountant frederick leavitt, he goes by rick. as mentioned earlier, his home in henderson was also searched by the corruption squad this morning and records were seized. rick leavitt has worked for the bureau since the early 90's but also operated a private accounting firm out of his home. in 2010, leavitt was appointed to head financial management for the bureau of reclamation's regional office so he was right in the middle of the audit of the dam and the awarding of the million dollar contract.... this is the third location that was searched this morning...an road. it's the office of ll bradford and company, the accounting firm that was awarded the contract to audit the dam. this is where the investigation seems to be focused. the company is based here in las vegas and handles many large firms, but it's been in trouble

the i-team obtained records showing that back in december, ll bradford was slammed by an accounting oversight board in washington d.c. for what was deemed "reckless conduct" that violated ethical and legal standards of accounting, and repeated instances of negligent behavior in overseeing the audits of its clients finances. the company was censured and fines were levied. the fbi is not commenting on what laws may have been violated but it is fair to surmise that they are looking at possible connections between rick leavitt and ll bradford. coincidentally, perhaps, one floor below bradford in the same building is a company called mvp. the same address is listed for a company called vestin mortgage. records show that rick leavitt is currently listed as the chairman of the audit committee for vestin mortgage. so, leavitt is working for vestin, which is one floor below ll bradford , the company which was awarded the contract by the bureau of reclamation, where

officer. a tangled web. ((paula francis)) >is the fbi saying anything at all, and do we know for sure it is the political corruption squad? ((george knapp)) the only statement issued by the fbi today was a confirmaiton that the corruption team is spearheading this. i was told that the same agent who was the point man for the massive hoa corruption probe is running this operation. his name is mike elliott, but he's not commenting, and neither is anyone else. ((dave courvoisier)) > with nevada's democratic caucus less than two days away, hillary clinton and bernie sanders' campaigns are in overdrive. both candidates are taking part in a town hall meeting tonight.. ((paula francis)) our politics now team is live at the lou ruvo keep memory alive center downtown. they'll have a look at the excitement building there. but first 8 news now anchor paul joncich got a look at both campaigns in action today. ((paul joncich)) > bernie sanders is using a small army of registered nurses to drum up support.

they're going door to door talking to nevadans. while hillary clinton is getting help from a couple of hollywood actresses and elected officials. ((paul joncich)) a sea of red at the flamingo hotel this morning. about 200 registered nurses heading out to spread bernie sanders' message. meanwhile, across the street from unlv, actress chloe grace moretz...at 19 years old, she has 2-million twitter followers....was firing up students who were about to hand out hillary clinton flyers on campus. here are a couple of excited volunteers from both campaigns. (( kathy donohue/sanders supporter: "for nurses we really believe that there should not be a choise between having healthcare or not. everyone should have healthcare. black lives matter, he understands the racial disparity in this country, the economic injustice in this country as well as the need for free tuition." )) (( samantha burtch/clinton supporter: "i know that there's a lot of young women here on campus that are really excited about electing someone like hillary clinton and not just because of her gender but because she is a feminist

women's equality and women's reproductive rights and civil rights as well.")) ((paul joncich)) (( )) this event was one of several clinton events held throughout the state. actress jamie lee curtis is helping get out the caucus for hillary in reno and lake tahoe...and nevada attorney general catherine cortez masto and california congresswoman maxine waters are making appearances for clinton as well. ((paul joncich)) nurses for bernie are expected to keep going door to door right up until caucus time at noon on saturday. both campaigns now going full throttle as they enter the stretch run in nevada. back to you.// ((paula francis)) > continuing our team coverage. we join our politics now team patrick walker and steve sebelius where the town hall meeting in downtown las vegas is set to kick off in a little less than an hour... gentlemen, i expect there's some energy in the air? ((patrick walker)) patrick walker is live at the lou ruvo center for brain health, where the msnbc/telemundo town hall will with democratic presidential candidates bernie sanders and hillaay clinton will

the race has been very close. patrick discusses the tight democratic race with nevada democratic party chairwoman roberta lange, and what a close race means for democrats here in the state. ((steve sebelius)) ((paula francis)) > the pope questions donald trump's christian values..

donald fires back. while flying back to the vatican from his visit to mexico, the pope was asked about trump's pledge to build a wall on the u.s.- mexico border.... the pope said someone who thinks only about building walls ...and not of building bridges.. is un- christian. trump fired back at the comment at a rally saying he is proud to be a christian: (( "for a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful.//if and when vatican is attacked by isis, which as everyone knows is isis's ultimate trophy, i can promise you the pope would've only wished and prayed that donald trump would've been

((paula francis)) > a new cbs news national poll shows donald trump with a two-to- one advantage over ted cruz./// ((dave courvoisier)) > parts of the valley have been getting blasted by stong winds... ((paula francis)) ted florendo has look at how long this could last. ((tedd florendo)) peak gusts today up to 70 in the mountains and 60's in some areas this morning between 10 a-m to 1 p-m today. highest in kyle canyon and red rock. summerlin at 60 even later doay with high gusts in centennial hills and nellis. henderson with gusts up to 45 in anthem and seven hills. ............................... ............ wind expected to relax more this evening from double digits in the 20's this evening down to the more the teens later evening. then single digits and light by late night. ............................... ................ hour by hour shows temps cooler than yesterday. 63 by 7 pm and 50's through the evening down to 55 by 8 news now at 11. ((dave courvoisier)) > auto thefts continue to plague parts

((paula francis)) the areas in which these crimes are happening the most. and how some members of the community are working to make it harder for thieves to prey on them./// ((dave courvoisier)) > car

for her "experience, leadership, tenacity," the las vegas sun endorses hillary clinton. just like planned parenthood action fund endorses clinton for her fortitude keeping government out of women's personal healthcare decisions. and the league of conservation voters action fund... for her bold plan to attack climate change. or the human rights campaign... because hillary believes only love should decide which two people can marry. not just a progressive. a progressive who gets results. i'm hillary clinton,

valley according to metro police. officers say they need the help of the community to tackle the issue. ((paula francis)) > 8 news now reporter mauricio marin is live at metro's north east command center.. with a look at the seriousness mauricio? ((mauricio marin)) so far this year...more than 970 cars have been reported stolen to metro police. out of four hotspots where thefts were highest...two were in the north-east area of the valley. so police met with community members today to try and stop victimized. ((brittany roof/apartment manager: "i was looking at the metro website and there's a lot of thefts around us." )) ((mauricio marin)) brittany roof worries about crime plaguing her apartment complex. auto thefts are a problem.. and metro police are warning her and dozens of others. ((sgt. fred haas/metro police: "we see the joy rides where they're just taking it to get from point a to point b but we also see those that are specifically targeting cars for parts with after market wheels, or a unique part of the car to fix their car." )) ((mauricio marin)) in the first six weeks of the year....about 130 cars were stolen on the north east side of the valley. ((sgt. fred haas/metro police: "this is

shopping malls, in apartment complexes, it's in stores." )) ((mauricio marin)) across southern nevada...that number shoots up to more than 970 within metro's jurisdiction. ((erin blakey/crime prevention specialist: 'it's a crime of opportunity." )) ((mauricio marin)) crime prevention specialist erin blakely works closely with a group of apartment managers to stop criminals from preying on citizens in their communities. when it comes to car thefts...she urges people to report them to police. ((erin blakey/crime prevention specialist: "if you don' tell us it's basically as if it never happened. we have no record of it and can't investigate it or look for it." )) ((mauricio marin)) although roof says auto thefts aren't a major issue with her property...she still plans to alert residents about the potential threat. ((brittany roof/apartment manager: "going along with the residents making them feel like they have someone they can talk to and be personal with on that comfortable with you.")) ((mauricio marin)) police urge people to always lock their vehicle and take valuables out of cars to avoid temptation. coming up at six...we'll look into what police say are the most common mistakes making thieves. reporting live...mauricio marin. 8 news now.///

< tedd florendo >

to 70 in the mountains and 60's in some areas this morning between 10 a-m to 1 p-m today. highest in kyle canyon and red rock. summerlin at 60 even later doay with high gusts in centennial hills and nellis. henderson with gusts up to 45 in anthem and seven hills. ............................... ............ wind expected to relax more this evening from double digits in the 20's this evening down to the more the teens later evening. then single digits and light by late night. ............................... ................ hour by hour shows temps cooler than yesterday. 63 by 7 pm and 50's through the evening down to 55 by 8 news now at 11. > ((paula francis)) > a new

kicking things off with the environment in mind (( ikea store manager: "what your seeing being installed is 3,620 solar panels.)) ((dave courvoisier)) on a day like today -- ikea might consider wind energy too! the roof top view of ikea few of us will ever see. how the bug blue building is going green. ((dave courvoisier)) > in just a

42nd ikea store in the nation will open in southern nevada... probably sometime this summer. ((paula francis)) construction is at full throttle and hiring is busy too. but it will be some time before we get inside to see 10- thousand pieces of furniture. ((dave courvoisier)) denise valdez went on a hard hat tour and shows us the progress. ((denise valdez)) > each time we visit ikea its like seeing it for the first time because so much changes. most of the walls are up are you can start to see and feel how the enormous store is coming together. but its still in major construction mode: (( amy jensen:" the total square footage is 351- thousand square feet" ))

wherehouse on the bottom floor is empty now -- but soon it will be filled with furniture -- rugs -- and accessories. on the main floor -- walls are up and show rooms are starting to come together. commissioner susan brager was eager to walk the grounds. she's pleased with the positive growth were seeing in the southwest -- especially ikea -- which is bringing 300 jobs to the valley. ((susan brager: "i know they received thousands of applications for 300 jobs .. whats great about ikea they also do part time benefits so a part time person can have benefits that says a lot for a company and for our clientele that might only want 20 hours a week.")) ((denise valdez)) > for customers -- they'll have a great view of the valley from the sun filled restaurant -- which by the way -- will offer three different types of meatballs. something you won't see -- the rooftop solar system. once finished -- the 5-621 panels will help generate 40-60 percent of the store's power. ikea won't commit to a firm opening date -- but it's on track to open this summer. ((denise valdez)) as far as

through hiring those 300 jobs the commissioner talked about. it's still looking for people to work in logistics -- sales -- customer service and food you can only apply on line. ((dave courvoisier)) > it's a good day to enjoy a glass of wine. ((paula francis)) plus.. find out why whole foods may be your next destination to get inked. > demetria obilor explains.. in what's trending.///

a better excuse for letting the cordes: most nurses are tough. they're problem-solvers. they like making things better. people don't have access to healthcare because they just can't afford it. bernie sanders understands how pharmaceutical companies and major medical companies are ripping us off. bernie tells the truth, and he's been consistent. he understands that the system is rigged, and he's the only one who can bring real change.

better excuse for letting the vino flow at this five o'clock hour... you're in luck! demetria obilor explains how you can partake of a sort of unofficial holiday, celebrating all things w. here's what's trending. < ((demetria obilor)) > when you get a moment, be sure to pour yourself a nice, glass ofwin it's national drink wine day, afterall. the holiday has been trending all day long. you can take part in the celebration by

people from across the u.s. are doing right now - or just kickback and enjoy your favorite vintage in private.. it has its benefits, some studies say. red wine can reduce bad cholesterol and increase the good kind. cheers to that! and instead of going to a tattoo parlor to get inked up... you're next best stop to get a tattoo... could be whole foods. whole foods' new brand of grocery stores... called "365".. will include unique third-party vendors...the company is considering bringing aboard tattoo parlors. the store chain hopes that this will attract more millenials. the "365" stores are expected to open later this year. that's it for what's trending...be sure to follow me on twitter, at demetriaobilor to stay in the loop... /// > ((dave courvoisier)) > thanks for watching 8 news now at five. ((paula francis)) the cbs evening news is next. we'll see you at six. /// ((dave courvoisier)) > google is

phone encryption >> pelley: now it's a holy war between trump and the pope.to >> for a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful. >> pelley: also tonight, two days before the nevada caucus, a personal side of hillary clinton. >> my mother met me at the door, and she said, "there is no room for cowards in this house." >> pelley: a hospital pays ransom to hackers to get its computers back. and from football to footlights. >> i got good feet. >> pelley: a former nfl star pulls off the play of a lifetime it may sound odd, but all i care about is love captioning sponsored by cbs

with scott pelley. with scott pelley reporting tonight from las vegas. >> pelley: this is our western edition. the odds-makers here at ceasar's palace never bet on this, but in a campaign that has seen just about everything, we now have donald trump feuding with the pope. it all started when francis, on his flight home from mexico, said that if trump wants to build a wall on the mexican border, he is not a christian. then, all hell broke loose.n major garrett is in south carolina. >> for a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful. >> reporter: donald trump saided mexico fed the holy father propaganda.th >> so they met with the pope,, and they, obviously, got to theg pope, and they're telling him what a bad guy donald trump is. he doesn't know me. >> reporter: and he added this warning: >> if and when the vatican is attacked by isis, which, as everyone knows, is isis'